THE GREAT DIVIDE OVER RETURN-TO-OFFICE
My husband works for the Department of Defense, and like all federal employees, he was recently mandated back to the office five days a week. No negotiation. No hybrid. Just back to 2019 like nothing happened. The reactions I’ve observed to this return-to-office (RTO) mandate are fascinating. And let’s just say… some folks have very strong opinions.
No negotiation.
No hybrid.
Just back to 2019 like nothing happened.
People tend to fall into three distinct camps when it comes to RTO. Some are all for it, some are deeply against it, and some land somewhere in between. But the biggest divide isn’t necessarily about productivity or collaboration—it’s about mindset, personal experience, and maybe even a little bit of resentment.
- Group 1: The “Get Your Ass Back to Work” Crowd
- Group 2: The “It Depends” Camp
- Group 3: The “I Just Pretend to Work” People
This group is made up mostly of:
✅ Older workers near retirement (who never had the option to work remotely)
✅ People in jobs that were always in-person (police officers, retail workers, nurses, etc.)
Their stance? Zero empathy. Zero flexibility. Absolute conviction.
🗣️ “It’s about damn time! Of course, you should be in the office every day. What’s wrong with companies? Remote work is lazy. Get your ass back to work!”
But here’s what I wonder:
1. Do they truly believe every job is best done in an office?
2. Or is there just a little resentment at play?
3. Maybe a tinge of jealousy that they never got to work in pajamas and take Zoom calls from the couch?
These folks see the nuance because they’ve actually experienced remote work.
👉 Some never want to step foot in an office again. If a job requires in-person work, it’s a dealbreaker.
👉 Some like a hybrid model—office for collaboration, home for deep work.
👉 Some miss the camaraderie of an office but still want flexibility.
They don’t see this as black and white. They understand that work isn’t about where you are—it’s about what you produce.
Ah yes, the Slack-status magicians. These folks have perfected the art of:
✅ Sending an email at 8 PM just to look "always on"
✅ Jiggling the mouse to keep their status green
✅ Saying "Let's circle back on this" to buy themselves three more days
Their worst nightmare? Returning to an office where people might actually see their screen.
So what do you think? Are people pushing for RTO because they genuinely believe it’s better?
Or is this just “I suffered, so you should too” energy?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.